PATAUDI SURRENDERS: The former Indian cricket captain, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, being escorted by policemen after he surrendered in a Jhajjar court on Saturday. Mr. Pataudi and seven others are facing a poaching case for allegedly killing a blackbuck on June 3.  Photo: PTI

CHANDIGARH:
The former Indian cricket captain, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, wanted for questioning in connection with a poaching case registered against him and seven others, surrendered before Chief Judicial Magistrate Sudhir Jeevan at Jhajjar in Haryana on Saturday.

The judge initially remanded him to police custody for two hours and later extended it to a day.

The 65-year-old Nawab of Pataudi and Shashi Singh, a co-accused, were denied anticipatory bail by Justice Rajive Bhalla of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday.

According to information here, the Jhajjar Police, who had launched a search to arrest Mr. Pataudi and six others after registering a case under the Wildlife Protection Act for allegedly killing a black buck and two rabbits on the night of June 3, was reportedly taken by surprise when the Nawab, accompanied by his lawyers reached the court around 12.30 p.m. (One of the accused, Madan Singh, was arrested and subsequently enlarged on bail.)

According to the Inspector General (Rohtak Range), V.N. Rai, after preliminary proceedings, the Jhajjar Police took him away for interrogation.

He was again produced in court in the afternoon and the judge accepted the police plea to remand him to a day's custody.

Sources said senior Jhajjar Police officers, including the Superintendent of Police and the Deputy

Superintendent of Police, interrogated Mr. Pataudi.

The Haryana Police had intercepted a Maruti Gypsy on the night of June 3 near a wildlife sanctuary in Jhajjar and claimed to have recovered the carcass of a black buck, an endangered species, and two rabbits.

However, the accused were allowed to go. It was only much later that the Jhajjar Police seized the Gypsy from the New Delhi residence of Mr. Pataudi.

The Jhajjar Police had issued three summons asking the accused to appear before the Investigating Officer to join the probe but there was no response.